© 2025 WRVO Public Media
NPR News for Central New York
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

COMIC: Looking For A 'Helper' In The Age Of Coronavirus

Mister Rogers said "look for the helpers" in times of crisis. Here's the story of Shah Dedar, an aid worker with the group HelpAge in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. He's 32, he's a Tom Hanks fan — and he works to protect the most vulnerable in the largest set of refugee camps in the world.

/ Malaka Gharib/ NPR
/
Malaka Gharib/ NPR
/ Malaka Gharib/ NPR
/
Malaka Gharib/ NPR
/ Malaka Gharib/ NPR
/
Malaka Gharib/ NPR
/ Malaka Gharib/ NPR
/
Malaka Gharib/ NPR
/ Malaka Gharib/ NPR
/
Malaka Gharib/ NPR
/ Malaka Gharib/ NPR
/
Malaka Gharib/ NPR
/ Malaka Gharib/ NPR
/
Malaka Gharib/ NPR

Special thanks to Dr. Paul Spiegel of Johns Hopkins University for connecting NPR to HelpAge.

Malaka Gharib is an NPR editor and the author and illustrator of I Was Their American Dream: A Graphic Memoir, about being first-generation Filipino Egyptian American.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Malaka Gharib is the deputy editor and digital strategist on NPR's global health and development team. She covers topics such as the refugee crisis, gender equality and women's health. Her work as part of NPR's reporting teams has been recognized with two Gracie Awards: in 2019 for How To Raise A Human, a series on global parenting, and in 2015 for #15Girls, a series that profiled teen girls around the world.
Recent cuts to federal funding are challenging our mission to serve central and upstate New York with trusted journalism, vital local coverage, and the diverse programming that informs and connects our communities. This is the moment to join our community of supporters and help keep journalists on the ground, asking hard questions that matter to our region.

Stand with public media and make your gift today—not just for yourself, but for all who depend on WRVO as a trusted resource and civic cornerstone in central and upstate New York.